


Apologize

by kenporusty



Series: Personal Assistant [3]
Category: The Hobbit (2012) RPF
Genre: Complete bitch character, OFC - Freeform, PARENTAL!GRAHAM, TW: family fight, emotionally draining chapter, seriously if parental fighting triggers you avoid this chapter
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-04-09
Updated: 2013-04-09
Packaged: 2017-12-07 23:34:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,049
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/754411
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kenporusty/pseuds/kenporusty
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The final story involving Liz. She confronts her mother about something in her life.</p>
<p>We finally see the formerly unnamed ex-wife.</p>
<p>If you haven't read <a href="http://archiveofourown.org/works/742518/chapters/1382939">Personal Assistant</a>, then I highly recommend you do so.</p>
<p>I would read Meeting Family, and Little Talks before this story. This is kind of turned into a mini-story arc that I didn't expect. Liz just kind of took over.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Apologize

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks to the lovely bluepeony for help on topics involving the UK, since I'm American.
> 
> And the prompt that started it all.

“Graham,” the tall red-haired woman sniffed when Graham opened the front door. “Still haunting this dreary house all by yourself?”

_“Call her Ms. Laird. Mam went back to her maiden name after the divorce.”_ Dean’s phone warned him. A text from Liz.

“Lorraine, do come in,” Graham plastered a smile on his face and stepped aside.

The woman, shorter than Graham by two inches, but compensating with heels, stepped in and immediately looked around.

“I figured you would have changed the décor some, but then, you never were good with interior design.”

She spotted a new painting hanging on the wall opposite the coat closet. “That’s new, who painted that?”

“Former employee of mine, can I take your coat?” Graham offered. Lorraine slipped out of her coat and handed it to him, going to investigate the new addition.

Dean’s painting was rather abstract, but a vague mountain could be seen along with what seemed to be a dragon, or maybe a large bird. The colors were all brighter than needed, but it worked somehow.

“O’Gorman,” Lorraine read Dean’s signature in the corner. “Employing the Irish now? I hope he’s a good Northern Irish boy, not like that southerner that works at the coffee shop.” She sniffed again.

“Mam! Don’t be so rude!” Liz chided, coming down the stairs.

“Sorry, love, habit.” Lorraine shrugged and crossed the room to hug her daughter. Graham hung up the coat and somewhat dreaded the next arrival.

“Mam, you’re not at an audition anymore, you can drop the act.”

“You know me; it takes me a good long time to unwind from a role. The flight to Edinburgh is only a few hours, not nearly enough.”

Liz sighed; she could sense her mother slowly dropping the high-class from her bearing.

“Acting or no, I really hope you employed a Northern Irish lad. They’re hurting so hard for jobs these days. Good to get them on their feet.”

“Tea while we wait?” Graham offered, desperate to steer the conversation from Dean. He wasn’t sure how his ex-wife would handle him dating a man.

Not that he was embarrassed of Dean. He was more embarrassed of her overreactions.

“Tea sounds great, love,” Lorraine was almost back to herself. She draped her arm around Liz’s shoulders and allowed herself to be guided to the kitchen.

Graham waited in the foyer for Dean, who was once again on foot.

“I should buy the kid a bicycle. Make it easier on him,” Graham muttered.

His mind then went to the idea of Dean’s powerful thighs and calves working the pedals, and the smile of joy he got when he did almost anything. Not to mention what his ass would look like. To distract himself from the ruinous thoughts, he turned to eavesdrop on Liz excitedly telling her mother about a recent party she attended. The bell made him jump slightly and opened it to Dean’s smiling face.

They kissed briefly, Graham pulling him close.

“Thanks for coming,” Graham murmured against his lips.

Dean broke away and grinned, “Anytime. Any clue why Liz called us here?”

“Well, she called her mother here, you just happened to show up,” Graham dropped his arm around his shoulders and squeezed before shoving him forward towards the kitchen.

“Liz asked me to come along.” Dean shrugged.

“Deano!” Liz chirruped and hurried from the kitchen to hug him hard.

Dean laughed, “hey Liz.”

She wrapped her arm around his shoulder and pushed him into the kitchen. Graham hung back and laughed.

“Mam, this is my friend I’ve been telling you about. This is Dean O’Gorman!” Liz said, abandoning Dean’s side to pour another cup of tea.

Dean stuck his hand out, “nice to meet you, Ms. Laird. Hopefully Liz has told you only the good things,” good old Kiwi affability. Always a nice fallback.

“O’Gorman, eh? You don’t sound Irish.” Lorraine took the hand and shook. A limp shake. Dean couldn’t help but think of Mr. Lee.

“Uh, no, I’m from New Zealand, but my father’s side is from Ireland.” Dean was caught off guard a bit.

“Good, hopefully it’s Northern Ireland. Liz, honey, is he your boyfriend? He looks a little old. Not nearly well off enough to support you. Are you moving back to Edinburgh because of him?”

Liz almost dropped the mug of tea and colored straight to her hairline.

“Mam!” She shrieked, placing the mug in front of Dean. “Do you know how embarrassing you’re being right now? No, he is not my boyfriend, and I am not moving back to Edinburgh!”

“Well then why did you drag me up here when you were going to stay just a few days? I’m busy, Liz, you know that.”

“Because I have better news than making a new friend thanks to da. At least I hope its better new.”

“You’re pregnant aren’t you? Liz! We talked about this, you’re an adult, but you have to be careful!” Lorraine’s voice rose almost an octave.

“Lorraine, calm down. Your daughter is not pregnant, she is not dating Dean, and she just has a big announcement. Sit down and be civil for once.” Graham said firmly, putting a hand on Dean’s shoulder.

“Overbearing much?” Dean muttered.

“You have no idea,” Graham returned, running his thumb along the back of his shoulder. “We should all sit down. Liz, want to go fetch your guests?”

Liz took off up the stairs, and Graham nodded at the table, walking over to sit down. Dean took his customary seat next to him, their knees touching under the table.

“So if you’re not with Liz, why are you here?” Lorraine turned to Dean.

“He’s my partner, Lorraine.” Graham emphasized ‘partner,’ and if to prove a point, he laced his fingers with Dean’s and placed their joined hands on the table. "Not to mention he's one of Liz's closest friends."

Dean shifted a bit uncomfortably, but smiled at Lorraine’s slightly horrified look.

She coughed and looked towards the stairs where Liz was coming down, trailed by two women.

“Do you know what’s going on already?” Dean whispered to Graham.

“Sure do. She already talked to me when they all showed up at my door.” Graham whispered back, keeping an eye on Lorraine’s reaction.

She looked confused as Liz led the girls into the room and sat them at the table, taking the seat between them, holding both of their hands.

Dean caught the look of vulnerability before Liz covered it with confidence and a hand squeeze.

“Mam, this is Siobhan and Kerri.”

“Hello Ms. Laird,” the girl on Liz’s left - Siobhan - put her hand out for Lorraine to shake. “Pleasure to meet you, ma’am.”

“Likewise, Ms. Laird,” Kerri on Liz’s right said, also offering her hand.

Lorraine stared, stunned, taking each of the girl’s hands, giving them the same limp fish handshake, not taking her eyes off her daughter. She stared at their clasped hands, putting the clues together.

“You know, I wish you had told me you were dating the New Zealander or gotten pregnant because this,” she waved at the girls, “this is unacceptable. Do not even think of coming home. I can’t even look at you.”

Despite what Lorraine said, eyes trained on her only daughter. The same daughter whose eyes threatened to overflow with tears. The same daughter who immediately had two women holding her even though her shoulders shook with threatened sobs.

Lorraine trained her look at Graham. Dean was out of his seat and behind Liz, folding his arms around her and whispering something into her hair.

“You knew about this. You supported this behavior. This is not normal.”

“Lorraine, be reasonable. Honestly, when has anything in this family been remotely normal? Yes, I knew about this, and I supported our daughter and these two lovely ladies. You know why? Because I love my daughter and I am a reasonable parent. I know you think I don’t care. You think that because I succeeded in my job that I put my career first and my family second. I worked hard to put my family first. If that meant a few extra hours in the office, so be it.

“While you were rehearsing for a role, I was there to help you, when our daughter had practice, I took her. I picked her up from school on numerous occasions to take her to your productions. I personally paid for her to go to a quality university in America to study what she wanted. And I just paid for her to go to the Seychelles for a vacation she desperately needed. When she called asking for help, you know why she said she needed to get away? Because of you. You’re overbearing, you don’t understand her. You don’t even try. She was having a mental breakdown. You constantly put your acting first and your daughter second. I didn’t care if I came second to your career; I was going to be there. I was always going to be there for you. For Liz. For whomever she deemed worthy of her love.

“You’ve left her own her own more times that I can count when she’s needed a parent there to go off on your own vacations, your own trips. I know not all of those were acting. And when that incident happened, did you come rushing home? No. I came down from Edinburgh to London to be there with Liz. To help her. To be there for her.

“Because I love my daughter.”

Dean felt the waves of anger, pent up for a long time, radiating off Graham.

“Get out of my house. Liz, Siobhan, and Kerri have an open invitation to stay here as long as they want, as long as they need, until you come to your senses and see that, yes, your daughter is in love with two women, but she’s still your daughter, and she needs your love and support. Not your scorn and anger.”

Lorraine glared daggers at Graham but looked obviously shaken. She spared no glanced for her daughter, the girls, or Dean. She collected her coat, slipped on those ridiculous heels, and slammed the door on the way out.

Graham folded, dropping his stance and rushing to pull his daughter into a hug.

“Were you serious, da?” Liz whispered wrapping her arms around Graham’s back.

“About what, sweetheart?” Graham rumbled back.

“Everything. Am I welcome here? Are we are welcome here? That you love me, and you paid for me to go overseas because I wanted to?” Liz was crying into her father’s shirt. “Of course. You three are welcome in this house for as long as you need. I’m so, so sorry that did not go as you planned. I wish I could get your mother to see sense, but I know she will come around eventually. Do you have everything you need to stay? Clothes, toothbrush, laptop?” Graham broke the hug and leaned their foreheads together. “I love you so much and I want you to know that you are welcome here, you are safe here.”

Liz nodded silently, smiling. She looked at Siobhan and Kerri, their faces in varying states of shock and amazement. She looked at Dean, who had tears threatening to fall.

“I think I have everything I need, yes.”

“As for the money question, I did pay for most of your education. I was a bit disappointed when you dropped out, but I understand that, and I love that you are working to return to school on your own terms.

“I’m so sorry you were in the room for that, I hope you can forgive me for throwing your mother out like that.” He ran his fingers through her hair and cupped her cheek.

She leaned into his touch, “I think I can forgive you this time.”

Siobhan and Kerri looked at each other, looked at Liz, and came to give Graham a crushing hug.

“Thank you, Mr. McTavish. Thank you so much,” Siobhan said.

Graham laughed, “Anytime, girls. I’ve seen how happy you make my daughter. Anyone who can make my daughter happy has my approval.”

Dean knew exactly what was going to come next, “and call me Graham. Mr. McTavish was my father!”

Dean groaned. There was no escaping his partner’s terrible humor.

**Author's Note:**

> This story was an emotional drain. Almost as much as Little Talks.
> 
> I'm very hopeful I pulled this chapter off well enough to be passable. I'm sorry it's not AS Dean and Graham as much as I wanted, but we'll get back to them.
> 
> If I've gotten anything wrong, please let me know.
> 
> I love you all, thank you for sticking with this silly little arc. I wash my hands of Lorraine. Now I can go back to focus on the rest of the short fics for this universe. You may see Liz, Kerri, and Siobhan again.
> 
> ...I use the name Siobhan, but I never actually learned how to pronounce it!


End file.
